ScotRail services to end at 4pm on Wednesday as Storm Dudley approaches

The vast majority of train services in Scotland will end at 4pm on Wednesday as the country braces itself for the first of two storms.

ScotRail announced on Tuesday its services would end early on Wednesday in preparation for Storm Dudley. The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for the north of England and the central belt and south of Scotland.

Gusts could rise as high as 90mph in coastal areas, with the amber warning due to come into force at 4pm on Wednesday and expire at midnight, when it will be downgraded to a yellow warning until 6am on Thursday.

Storm Dudley will be immediately followed by Storm Eunice later this week.

John Swinney, the deputy first minister, said: “We expect another period of disruption this week, with Storms Dudley and Eunice set to bring strong winds to Scotland.

“High winds may cause issues on roads and bridges, disruption to power supplies and danger from falling trees. We would urge everyone to plan their journeys in advance, exercise caution on the roads, and follow the latest travel advice.”

After a meeting of the Scottish government’s resilience room, Swinney said the country would continue to monitor the situation as the storms approached.

Services running in the far north, Kyle of Lochalsh, and Aberdeen-Inverness lines will continue to run as usual because the areas are outside the boundaries of the weather warning.

“Scotland is bracing itself for Storm Dudley tomorrow,” the rail operator said on Twitter. “The welfare of our customers and staff is most important, so for safety reasons most ScotRail train services will shut down from 1600 on Wednesday.”

The RNLI said adverse weather conditions could make seas “treacherous” and urged people to take extra care in coastal areas, while the Woodland Trust Scotland urged people to stay away from wooded areas during the high winds.

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